N.Y. to get $42 million for security

The federal government is providing $42 million for transit security in the New York City area.

The funding from the Department of Homeland Security will be used to improve security in subways, commuter trains and buses in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.

Money allotted to the New York region adds up to nearly a third of the funds given out nationwide for transit security operations. The funding is intended for detection of explosive devices and chemical or biological agents.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the Port Authority, New Jersey Transit and the Connecticut Department of Transportation will share the funds. On the West Coast, $7 million was apportioned to California's San Francisco Bay Area to be split among four systems. Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) officials said that they have identified $196 million in security needs, and the funding is inadequate, reported The San Francisco Chronicle. "Even if we got the whole $7 million, it wouldn't put a dent in our needs," BART Director Lynette Sweet told the paper.